Print-developing machine.



Il. L. BLQN'DES.

PRINT DEVELOPING MACHINE..

APPucMlou FILED HMI-1.1911.

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PRINT DEVELOPING MACHINE.

APPLlcAroN flu-:o MAYH. 19|?.

im Em m r w P M W HARRY L. BLONDES, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

vPRIN'J3-DEVELOPING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application led May 14, 1917. Serial No. 168,329.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. BLONDES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Print-DevelopingMachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. j

This invention pertains to devices for treating or developing continuousstrips of sensitized paper, such as photograph or blueprint paper.

The essential object of this invention is to provide a simple efficientmachine for treating such strips to one or more baths, then drying andironing the same to deliver the strip in smooth dry condition andproperlydeveloped so that it is no longer sensitive to light. Heretoforeit has been customary to feed a strip of sensitized paper through ablueprinting machine to which a developing device is attached andthrough which the strip is subsequently fed to bring out the print. Oneof the difficulties encountered in such machines is the starting of thestrip through the machine which is accomplished usually by attaching theleader strip, which is carefully threaded through the machine, or byfeedin the end of the strip to be treated to. t e machine. Both of thesemethods are wasteful of material and time. A more specific object of myinvention is to provide a machine which may coact with means attached tothe end of the printed strip for causing the strip to pass entirelythrough the machine and permitting the printing to be begun at theforemost end of the strip. p

The above and other objects will becomeO apparent in the followingdescription, which refers to the drawings, and the essentialcharacteristics of my invention are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine 5 Fig. 2 isa rear elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a `vertical transverse sectionthrough the machine; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional plan takensubstantially on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an axial sectionthrough the. drying and ironing drum; Fig. 6 is a perspective detail ofthe rear rod adapted to be attached to the forward edge of the strip andcause it to progress through the machine; Fig. 7 isa sectional sideelevation of the winding mechanism.

Describing the parts by reference characters, 1 and 2 are side framemembers shown as made up of uprights and transverse con? necting braces,illustrated at 3 and 4. The side frame members carry bearin s forrollers and support the feeding liquld tanks to be described.

The machine is used by mounting the same adjacent a blueprinting machineadapted to progress a sensitized strip therethrough continuously and thetracings orother negatives vbeing placed thereon and removed therefromafter the printing. Such a strip is indicated at 5 as coming from theblueprint machine to a deflector orv guideboardv 6 from which the strippasses downwardly at 5a into a tank 7 containing a developing and fixingliquid. An associated tank 8 may contain a finishing liquid and thestrip passes therethrough as indicated at 5'J and then upwardly as at 5to drying and ironing means to be hereinafter described. The tanks 7 and8 are shown as formed by two partially cylindrical members joined at 9and intermediate the tank and closed at their ends by suitable end walls10. These end walls are secured by any suitable means to cross braces 11of the frame members 1 and 2. Within the tanks 7 and 8 may be providedguide rollers 12 and 13 suspended in the tanks by depending hangers 14and 15 loosely embracing vthe shafts 27 and 28. These rollers are forthe purpose of guiding the strip and causing it to pass through the bodyof liquid contained in each tank.

The strip is startedthrough the machine i by means of a clamping rodadapted to grip the end ofthe strip. This rod may be of any suitableconstruction. For example, I have shown a. rod somewhat oval in crosssection and comprising two halves 20 and 21 hinged together at one edgeby means of a hinge rod 22, while projections 23 on the member 20 maypick the paper preventing it slipping therefrom. At each end of one ofthese members may be provided a leaf-spring 25 adapted to extend overand engage the edge of the other member to hold them in engagement withthe strip.

Such a leader rod may be attached to the end of the strip and stripstarted through the blueprint developing machine. The Hat. ness of therod prevents it interfering with printing close to `the `same and alsorenders the end of the rod. The rod reaches the` roller 9a between thetanks and falls by gravity` into the path of the star-wheels and is heldupwardly out. of the tank 8. The star-Wheels 26 and 28 are mountedrigidly on shafts 27 and 29 respectively which have .their bearing boxes30 on the cross members 11.

When the rod is carried upwardly by the projections of the wheels 28 itis brought into .the path of hooked projections 32 on parallel chains 33running over sprockets 34 at their lower ends and 35 at their upperends. The sprockets 34 are mounted on a shaft 36 having bearings 37 onthe cross members 16, while the sprockets 35 are rigid on a shaft 38having a bearing 39 on upwardly extending members of the side frames.rllhese chains are separated so that the strip may pass between themwith the guiding rod having its ends engaging the hooks of the chains.As the guiding rod is brought over the tops of the sprockets 35 it fallsdownwardly onto a belt 40 running under a heating drum 42 mounted on ashaft 43 having bearings in cross members 44. At each side of the shaft43 are rollers 45 and 46 having bearings on the member 44 and on anextension 44a, whereby the belt 40 may pass downwardly over the roller45 beneath the drum 42 over the roller 46 and return to the roller 45.This belt has sufiicicnt elasticity to permit the guiding rod to passbetween it and the drum. Upon the guiding rod passing off from theroller 46, the strip may be removed and the end of the paper started towind on a winding roller 48 mounted in bearings on the members 44a.

The heating roller ,is shown in detail in Fig. 5 and from this view itwill be seen' that the shaft 43 is made hollow and provided with radialopenings 50 communicating with the interior of the drum 42, which hasits end walls embracing the shaft. A

pipe 52 is connected through a joint 53 with a nipple 54 threaded intothe shaft 43, whereby the shaft may rotate with relation to the pipe 52by reason of the joint 53. Thus hot air may'be forced through the pipe52 by any suitable means into the shaft 43 and outwardly into the drum42, heating the latter, the air being permitted to vent through openings55 in the end Walls of the drum. The .strip to be treated passingbetween.the roller and the belt is dried and ironed smooth.

- If the treatment requires more than two baths of liquid an additional'tank may be provided by merely extending the metal forming the tanks 7and 8 to provide another trough. However, ordinarily in treatingblueprints to which this machme is particularly applicable only one ortwo kinds of treating liquid are used-usually potash (in the tank 7 andwater (in the tank 8). However, if a final wash is desired, such as awater wash, a tube 60 may be mounted in front of the upwardly extendingstrip 5, the tube being provided with openings to project streams ofwater 61 onto the paper at a point where the water or other liquid willreturn to the tank 8. Water is led to this pipe through a tube 62controlled by a suitable valve.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my machine may beused to develop continuous strips of sensitized paper or like materialwhether or not it is associated with a printing machine. The machineprovides for using all of the strip and leads the strip through frombeginning and winds the same into a roll indicated at 5d around theshaft 48. The winding device is shown in detail in Fig. 7, and consistsprimarily of a pulley 71 loose on the shaft 48. pulley 71 is heldagainst the friction disk 74 rigid on the shaft 48, by means of thespring 73, held at one end by the collar 72. The tension of this springis adjusted to keep the paper taut and as the winding roll 5d increasesin diameter the slippage between the pulley 71 and disk 74 increases indirect proportion thereto. The star-wheels 26 and 28 are preferablydriven simultaneously with the parallel chains 33 by means of thesprocket chain 75 and hand crank 76 mounted on the shaft 27.

The drum 42 and winding roller 48 are shown as driven by a connectionwith a blueprinting machine as by a belt 65 leading to a pulley 66 onthe shaft 43. The shafts 43 and 48 being driven by suitable beltsindicated at 68 and running over pulleys 70 and 71 of these shafts 43and 48 respectively. The machine is simple, convenient and. not liableto get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, what lf claim is: l

1. In a device for treating a flexible strip, the combination of an endstiffener therefor projecting past the sides of the strip, a tank forcontaining treating liquid, separated rotary members engaging thestiffener to propel the strip through the tank, a winding roller, andmeans for carrying the strip thereto.

2. A machine adapted for fixing a sensitized strip, comprising a.guidewav for the strip, a tank for containing said fixing liquid astiffener on the strip. separated rotary members in said tank adapted toengage stiffener on the strip, a conveyer adapted to engage thestifi'ener and to cause the strip to be drawn through the liquid, and awinding means for continuing the progress of the strip.

3. A machine for progressively treating a continuous strip comprisingseparated tanks for containing treating liquid, a winding means, rollersin the tanks for holding thel .said members in a direction to feed thestiiener and lead the strip therethrough.

5. A machine for rogressively treating printed sensitized strlpsincluding adjacent tanks for containing different treating liquids, aconveyer comprising separated flexl: ble members, a windingmeans, astiifener for the end of the strip, separated rotary' members projectinginto said tanks and adapted to engage said stlifener, means for rotatingsaid members in a direction to feed the stiiiener and lead the striptherethrough, said iexible member having projections engaging thestiffener, and means for driving the conveyer and the rotary members atthe same time, whereby the strip may be fed through the machine andbrought to the winding means;

.6. The combination of a pair of adjacent tanks for containing treatingliquid, said tanks being partially cylindrical, separated rotary membershaving outward projections, a stiener for thc end of a rinted strip,means for rotating said mem ers to.

cause the stiiener to pass through the tanks, a conveyer for Acarryingthe stifener away from the tanks, and a driving means to which theconveyer delivers the strip.

7. A machine for treating continuous rinted strips including tanks forcontainlng treating liquids, a stitlcner for the strip, a guidewayleading to the first tank, rotary members having radial projections,Imeans carrying said rotary members so that the projections may becausedto pass the stiffener through the tanks successively, a conveyerhaving hooks adapted to engage the stiffener and carry the strip awayfrom the tanks, and means for winding up the strip. 8. A machine for'treating continuous rinted strips including tanks for treating liquids,a stiii'ener for containing the strip, a guideway leadingl to the firsttank, rotary members having radial projections, means carrying saidrotary members so that the projections may be caused to pass thestiiener throughvthe tanks successively, guiding rollers beneath whichthe strip is passed in the tanks, and a winding mechamsm to which thestrip is delivered.

9. The 4combination with adjacent tanks for containing treating liquid,guides in said tanks to lead a printed strip into the liquid, means forfeeding a strip vwith a stiifener-thereon through-the tankssuccessively, a conveyer for leading the strip away from the tanks, andmanually operated means for driving the rotary members and the conveyer.

10. A machine for continuously treating a blueprint strip comprising atreating tank,

a guidev roller therein, means for feeding` the strip through the tankbeneath said roller, a conveyer leading the strip u'pwardly from thetank, a drum to which said conveyer delivers the strip, a belt beneaththe drum for causing the strip to contact with the drum, a windingmechanism, said belt leading the strip to the winding mechanism. powerdriven means for .actuating the winding mechanism, and handA operatedmeans for actuating the feedlng devices and conveyer.

11. A machine for continuously treating a printed strip comprising atreating tank, a guide roller therein. means for feeding the stripthrough the tank beneath said roller, a convever leading the stripupwardly from the tank, and a winding mechanism for the strip.

12. The combination with adjacent tanks for treating liquid. guides insaid tanks to lead a printed strip intothe liquid, means for feeding aleading stiener through the tanks successively, a conveyer for leadingthe strip away from the tanks. means for driving the rotary members andthe conveyer, and a spraying tube for bringing water onto the strip asit leaves the tanks.

13. Ina device of the character described, the combination. with aplurality of tanks adapted to contain treating liquid, of means forguiding a strip successively through such tanks, and means for windingup the signature.

HARRY L. BLONDES.

